AT&T, T-Mobile Begin Selling Windows Phones in the United States

It's the Windows Phone 7 launch day in the United States, and mobile operators AT&T and T-Mobile are now selling the first devices to American customers. AT&T is offering the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus, and T-Mobile has the HTC HD7. All three devices are $199 with a two-year data contract.

Microsoft is positioning Windows Phone 7 devices as "a new kind of phone," and although these phones do offer the discrete app experiences common to popular competitors such as the Apple iPhone and Google Android, Microsoft's claims aren't without merit. That's because Windows Phone also features innovative new panoramic experiences, or hubs, that present multiple sources of data—like photos, music, and contacts—all in a single UI. And it includes Start screen-based live tiles that provide "glance and go" information, such as your next appointment, without requiring you to jump into an application, as you do on other phones.

The lack of this functionality on other devices is driven home in Microsoft's TV advertisements for Windows Phone, especially the popular and hilarious Really spot, in which typical smartphone users ignore the world around them because they can't tear themselves away from their phones. "It's time for a phone to save us from our phones," the ad intones. "Windows Phone \\[is\\] designed to get you in—and out—and back to life." It's a strong message, and an accurate one, as anyone with smartphone experience can tell you.

In tandem with the US launch, Microsoft has also released the results of a Harris Interactive survey, which backs up the claims made in the ads. For example, although 72 percent of respondents reported that bad mobile-phone behavior was a top pet peeve, few admitted that they personally displayed such behavior, suggesting that they're simply not aware of what they're really doing. Nineteen percent of phone owners between the ages of 18 and 24 have dropped their phone in a toilet—arguably the highlight moment of the "Really" ad—while 49 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have tripped or walked into something while walking and texting or emailing on their mobile phone.

If you're interested in getting a Windows Phone, you're going to need to move quickly. The devices sold out quickly around the world during the international launch in late October, and US retailers are already reporting that demand is going to overwhelm inventory in the United States. Both AT&T and T-Mobile will be adding additional phone models by the end of the year, and CDMA-based carriers such as Sprint and Verizon Wireless are expected to jump on board in early 2011.

While I know it's one store etc. I'm not so much looking at how many sold but at how many are available to sell. 20 per store? That's roughly only a half million phones in the AT&T channel today and a two week delay to get more. In the meantime Apple has the supply channel up to speed with the supply finally matching demand. Given that the holiday sales period accounts for more phone sales than any other, the hardware partners better get the supply issues fixed fast.

"However, analysts say if Microsoft was aiming to get back in the smartphone market, it had better hope that Windows Phone 7 made a bigger impact than it appeared to be having in some places.

According to some analysts who reported on the sluggish sales at some of the outlets where Windows 7 was launched, though people were lining up most of those were there to pick up tickets for a launch concert as against getting their hands on a new phone.

That is not to say that Microsoft did not manage to make the most of the queue, requiring that concert-goers at least get a demo of Windows Phone 7 before collecting their passes to the show they said."

I visited my local Telstra store to have a play around with phones this week. The HTC 7 Mozart they had on display was fantastic. It was the only phone in that entire store I could pick up, and type out an accurate message with my enormous thumb. Frankly if you cannot use your thumb to write an accurate text message, your phone is WORTHLESS!!!

There were plenty of Android phones in this shop, none of which really stood out from the crowd. There was an iPhone 4 on display, but sadly (albeit rather predictably) it was broken, and all I could do with it was practice the non death grip.

I have now placed an order for a WP7 phone. Unfortunately they were completely out of stock, and a few quick checks comfirmed as were all their other stores throughout the local area. Current ETA is two weeks for my phone to arrive. TWO WEEKS!!!!ARGHHHH!!!

Having been out phone shopping this weekend, I can't tell that stores are pushing windows phone 7. The sales people I spoke with mentioned it only in passing. I didn't hear anyone ask for it or about it.

Granted, this was yesterday, and in only 2 stores. Anyone else have comments on what stores are saying about windows phone 7?